The present invention is related in general to an improved holster and pertains, more particularly, to a holster for holding a weapon within the holster and resisting attempts to force removal of the weapon or accidental removal of the weapon. The holster of this invention is an improvement over the conventional weapon holster with weapon restraining straps that can fail to provided the desired restraint under particular circumstances.
With the conventional weapon holster it is generally necessary to provide an assembly to keep a weapon in the holster. For example, it is typical that a weapon, particularly for use by a police force or a military force, is placed in a holster for quick removal. The weapon in this situation is often ready to discharge in case the need arises. Even in the event that the user either has to move or forcibly restrain another, the weapon may still be kept at the ready.
A drawback associated with the foregoing situation is that it has been known for the restrained individual to get free or during a struggle to obtain the weapon from the holster by releasing a weapon restraining strap or straps.
Similarly, while the weapon is ready for use and in the holster, the physical movements of the wearer may result in the holster being upside down. In this latter situation, if the weapon restraining device has been loosened in anticipation of its use, the weapon may fall out of the holster without the wearer realizing that the weapon is gone or unreachable.
Existing weapon holsters also have a drawback associated with the fact that the straps or fasteners, or similar arrangement, used to hold the weapon in the holster may wear out and increase the chance of failure at just the wrong time from the holster wearer's point of view.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved holster that is adapted to decrease the risk that a wearer of the holster will accidently or forcibly, under certain circumstances, lose the weapon from the holster. With the holster of this invention it is believed that the wearer of the holster will not lose the weapon except under extraordinary circumstances.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holster that is constructed to provide a weapon release mechanism that can be incorporated into conventional holsters or retro-fitted to existing holsters.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved holster that may be readily used by an individual without impairment to the use of the holster or the weapon.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holster that is adapted for use under relatively extreme environmental conditions and in relatively tense circumstances.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holster in which the weapon is normally retained within the holster, but can easily be manually released by the wearer of the holster.